Remembering Love
by bk-1205
Summary: A moment in time two months after Andrew and Margaret are married.


Disclaimer: I don't own the movie or the characters. No infringement is intended.

A/N: I watched The Proposal when it was first released and loved it. I recently bought it and watched it multiple times. It's such a great movie, but I hated that I didn't get an epilogue. I wanted more and this is my feeble attempt at getting that. I hope you enjoy it. I enjoyed writing it.

REMEMBERING LOVE

Margaret stood in the doorway between their bedroom and the bathroom and contemplated the bed where a sleeping Andrew lay in the middle of it. The sheet was at his waist revealing smooth bronze skin in the moonlight. He had obviously migrated to the center of the bed when she got out of it. He was lying on his side and his left arm was resting where she had been just moments ago. The platinum band on his ring finger practically glowed where it lay against her pillow.

As she watched him, her breath caught. They'd been married a little over two months, but there were still days she couldn't believe she was married to Andrew Paxton . . . that they were creating a life together . . . a family. A year ago, she had thought of him only as the best assistant she'd ever had. It was amazing what the threat of deportation and a weekend in Alaska could do. And as crazy as it sounded, she couldn't be more grateful to either of them.

When she'd arrived in Alaska all those months ago, she had been surprised by the life Andrew had led and left there. He had everything she'd missed since she was 16 and he was willing to risk it for her. She hadn't thought she could love anyone as much as she loved Andrew, but when she was faced with the choice of destroying his life or starting over in Toronto, there had been no question. Margaret couldn't have lived with herself if she had ruined his life. He really was an amazing man.

And he had an amazing family. _She_ had an amazing family. They actually still loved her after she'd lied to them and almost destroyed Andrew's life. Gammy Annie and Joe were so wonderful, but Grace had become especially important to Margaret. She _was_ a mother to Margaret and she had missed her mother terribly since she died. How had she gotten so lucky?

For years, Margaret had kept to herself so she wouldn't get close to anyone. Losing her parents, the people she loved most in the world, had been more painful than anything she'd ever experienced and Margaret had no intentions of ever hurting that way again. And then there was Andrew, who wouldn't let her run.

After he proposed 'for real' in front of the whole office, they had taken the rest of the day off and gone back to his apartment, where Margaret finally admitted to loving him. The day replayed in her mind like a movie.

--

_"Are you sure about this?" she asked upon walking into his third floor apartment less than a three blocks from her own._

_"Yes. I'm sure," he replied, tossing his jacket on the chair near the door and pulling her into his arms. "I've known you for three years. I've seen you at your worst. I know this is what I want."_

_"I'm still scared," she admitted in a whisper leaning further into his embrace._

_"I know, but I'm not going to let your fear take away our chance at real happiness." He kissed her softly. The kiss had quickly deepened and then they were in his bed making love. Andrew touched her, both physically and emotionally, in places she didn't know existed._

_Hours later, they lay cuddled together, continuing to touch each other after the passion they'd shared was reduced to a simmer. Andrew ran a finger up and down her spine causing Margaret to quiver against him, while Margaret stroked Andrew's chest enjoying the fact that she could touch him that way._

_"Andrew?" she whispered from where her head lay on his chest._

_"Hmmm?" he replied, his eyes closed, fatigue clear in his voice._

_"I love you," she admitted, in spite of the fear she still felt at the possibility of loving him and losing him._

_He shifted against her so that he could look down at her. Andrew tucked the silken chestnut tresses that covered her face behind her ear and tilted her head forcing her to meet his eyes._

_"I know." He smiled softly at her and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. At the confusion she knew he must have seen in her eyes when he pulled away, Andrew continued, "I knew you loved me when you were willing to give up the only life you know to protect me and my relationship with my family."_

_She raised her hand and stroked the side of his face and tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry I put you in that position in the first place."_

_"I'm not," he countered. "If you hadn't, we wouldn't be here and I wouldn't trade that for anything."_

_She smiled her bottom lip trembling. "I do love you, Andrew Paxton."_

_Andrew smiled in return. "I love you, too, Margaret Tate." Margaret cupped the back of his head and initiated a kiss for the first time. The kiss quickly heated and they spent the rest of the day in bed together._

_--_

Margaret smiled at the memory. What a way to end an 18 month drought. Now, she was married to the man of her dreams. Who would have thought he'd be younger than her . . . at least in age. Emotionally, he was light years ahead. Margaret knew that was because she'd cut herself off from relationships when her parents died. She still struggled to let Andrew in sometimes, but he was persistent and he didn't let her hide, which was a good thing, because she needed that. He was good for her. She only hoped that she was good for him, too, just as Gammy Annie had suggested all those months ago.

"Why are you up in the middle of the night?" he asked sleepily, rolling onto his back. Startled, Margaret realized Andrew's eyes watching her. "And, what are you doing all the way over there?"

"Looking at you," she responded with a saucy grin.

"Enjoying the view?" he countered with a suggestive tone and a raised eyebrow.

"Absolutely," she answered sincerely with a soft smile taking in the definition of his chest and his rippling abs.

"Come here." Andrew sat up in bed and held out his ring baring hand to her. When she took his hand, he pulled her to him. Cupping her face, he asked, "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Just pinching myself, I guess. Reminding myself that all of this is real."

He chuckled. "I have to do that sometimes. I never thought when I came to New York that I'd find anything other than a career that I love. Then I came to work for this tyrant, who I loathed." Margaret rolled her eyes at his reference, but he continued. "Who knew I'd fall in love with her."

"I know," she agreed jokingly. "That's a pretty amazing story," she said contemplatively, then added, "We should write it down and read it to the baby as a bedtime story or something."

"You're right we sh . . . wait a minute," he said confused. "What? What baby?"

"Ours," she replied simply.

Andrew glanced back and forth between her eyes and her still flat stomach. "Are you sure?"

"I found out yesterday afternoon at my doctor's appointment. I was going to tell you last night, but you were busy with that deadline and I didn't want to distract you."

"You should have told me," he said pulling her into his arms and squeezing her tight.

"I just did," she replied into his shoulder.

He sighed and then looked at her concerned. "Is everything okay? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she confirmed with a reassuring grin. "According to the doctor, I'm in excellent health and we should expect a normal pregnancy."

"We're having a baby?" He looked at Margaret as if he was still not sure whether to believe it or not. At her confident nod, he repeated it with more excitement. "We're having a baby! We're having a baby!"

Andrew pulled Margaret into his lap and hugged her to him. Gently placing a hand on her tummy, he looked down and softly said, "You are going to have such a great like. Your grandparents are going to spoil you rotten and your mom and I will always be here for you." Margaret choked up at that. She knew how fragile life was, but she also knew how much she loved this man and this baby that she had yet to meet. Margaret would do everything in her power to never leave either one of them. Glancing into Margaret's eyes, Andrew continued, "We will always love you and show you what love looks like. So that when you find it for yourself, you won't be afraid of it."

Margaret's eyes misted over and she cupped her husband's cheek, before pressing her lips to his in a kiss that quickly turned fiery. Once Andrew was assured that making love to her wouldn't hurt the baby, he set about taking her to new heights.

When morning came, Margaret and Andrew left their bedroom to find the family around the kitchen table enjoying homemade cinnamon rolls and lattes. They had come to New York to celebrate Grace's birthday and they were all staying at the house on Long Island that Margaret and Andrew had moved into a little over a month before.

The gift they'd found Grace at Tiffany's took a back seat to the present they could now give her. Margaret knew Annie, Joe and Grace would be excited about the baby. It was likely they would be visiting a lot more and she wouldn't have it any other way. That's what happened when you remembered what having a family and love felt like. You wanted to feel it all the time. Now she could.


End file.
